Northern Lights
by Imagigamegirl
Summary: After a long journey in finding the Time Pieces and a home, Hat Kid deserved a vacation. Luckily, the Arctic Cruise is now open for everyone. But will this new adventure be a new mission for Hat Kid rather than a relaxing trip? Takes place after Finding Home. All rights go to proper owners, especially Gears for Breakfast. Rated T, just in case.
1. Welcome Aboard

I return with the DLC! I'm still working through Snatcher's Death Wish and my gosh, does he want me dead. But I will still aim to pull through! For now though, the Arctic Cruise was fun and the seals are adorable~! With a story finally in mind, I shall share it. Hope it turns out well.

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Hat Kid sighed, laying back on her bed and staring up at the blue canopy over it. She felt bored and a little frustrated about today.

It's been a week since she decided to stay on Earth...or at least in her ship, neighboring it. She practically got a new family in the process as well, which is amazing. But the problem was that everyone she knew was busy.

Cookie needed to prepare a banquet for a sort of party the Mafia are throwing. Mafia Boss was gonna be there as well. Mu was, of course, planning to crash it and cause some mischief. She's working on being a better person, but that doesn't mean she's going to let the Mafia do whatever they want. They did take her home and family away, after all.

DJ Grooves and the Conductor are back in movie production. Conductor's train is also finally close to being fully repaired. Of course, Conductor wouldn't want to miss that.

Snatcher wasn't even in the mood to be disturbed. On normal occasions, he's sitting in his tree, reading his book. But today, he was out setting new traps and checking on the Subconites. Of course if Hat Kid got in the way, she'd never hear the end of it.

Finally, there was not much left to do in Alpine Skyline. The goats and nomads are nice, but all they do is mostly meditate and watch the scenery. Hat Kid is not someone that would sit for a really long time, just staring off into space.

She let out another sigh and rolled out of bed. She walked down the hallway through the automated doors into the main hub. Her Rumbi jumped up and down, happy to see their master up and about.

Hat Kid smiled a little and patted her Rumbi. She then sat down on a pillow in front of the TV and said to herself, "Eh. Wonder if there's anything good on." Maybe a new episode of _Gabe the Dog_ will be on. If not, there's probably a game she could try to beat again.

As she flipped the channels, she spotted a sort of large cruise ship on one channel. She stopped and flipped it back to that channel. What is this ship that is bigger than her own?

A male announcer stated, "Feeling the summer heat? Need an escape? Why not book yourself a voyage on the Arctic Cruise?" The camera panned around the gigantic ship, showing its glimmering lights and grand exterior.

A cruise? She's never been on one before. It looked so cool and grand! She wondered why she never spotted it during her previous journey.

The male announcer continued, "Our expert staff will see to your every need." The TV then showed little baby-like white seals pushing a few luggage carts and wearing a sort of bellboy outfit. There were a couple in the kitchen wearing chef hats as well. They looked super cute!

"And our veteran captain will be at the helm, keeping you safe and sound at sea." The camera then showed an elder looking walrus. He had a bushy mustache, bushier than any Mafioso Hat Kid has ever seen, and he wore a sort of captain suit. He looked tired and oddly had only one tusk. Was he smoking too? Hat Kid hummed in thought, smile disappearing.

"With our state-of-the-art facilities, you're sure to have a wonderful time." Hat Kid's awe returned when the camera showed the different features. A large laundry room, a grand dining hall with chandeliers and fancy tables, a casino, a daycare center, and the best of all, a pool with floaties and a water slide!

"All aboard the Arctic Cruise. Call in and book today!" It then showed a sort of phone number on the bottom of the screen and Hat Kid eagerly dashed to her phone in the Machine Room, keeping the number in mind. No way is she passing up this opportunity. Hopefully it won't be too expensive.

Reaching the Machine Room, she dialed the number and she heard a sort of...child-like voice on the other end. "Thank woo for calling the Awctic Cwuise wine. How can I hewp woo?" Nonetheless, they sounded _adorable_. Hat Kid kept her composure and gave them a proper answer.

"Hello, I'd like to book for the cruise. When's the next departure?"

"That would be tomowwow mowning, miss!"

"Then I'd like that, please."

She can't wait to tell the others about this. Maybe they can come too.

* * *

Hat Kid shut her small suitcase and headed to the hatch. She had to make sure she was up bright and early for this trip. Luckily she didn't need to pack much. Just a couple extra regular outfits and her necessities. She also kept a Time Piece on hand so she could be able to get back to her ship once the cruise was over.

"Bye Rumbi! Watch the ship for me!" She dashed over to the hatch, opened it, and jumped right out. Based on what she could remember for its location, it should be right off the coast of a small island up north.

As she got closer to the planet, she easily saw the ship off the side of the docks. Just looking at the exterior made her eyes sparkle with wonder. It was huge! Huge and fancy-looking. It had a sort of wave-design at the bottom deck and its name was S.S. Literally Can't Sink. Something about that name felt off for her, but she shrugged it off as she came in for a landing by opening her umbrella.

She landed on the green grass, closing her umbrella and picking up her suitcase. After telling her friends about it, she heard quite a few were coming! Of course, they all paid for their own tickets. They were expensive, even for Hat Kid.

First, she spotted an Express Owl. Guess that means the Conductor's crew was here. Maybe even the Conductor himself. She approached the owl and gave him a bright smile and wave.

"Oh, hey kid. Y'know, after traveling on the Conductor's train all the time, I'm looking forward to something a little more...reliable."

Hat Kid tilted her head but shrugged it off. "Hope you have fun."

"Thanks, kid. Oh, the Conductor is here too, in case you're looking for him."

"Thank you!" She looked around for him and spotted him not too far away. He grunted as he pushed a piece of luggage on top of a small pile. Something then began pulling at his leg. He looked down and said, "Not now, wee one. I gotta get these on a cart."

"Conductor!" Hat Kid smiled and waved as she ran over. He looked up and showed a similar toothy grin.

"Well, if it isn't the little lass. Glad ye could make it." Once Hat Kid got close, she looked down confused. There were little baby birds, peeping and waddling around. They were all wearing little outfits and they strangely looked like...the Conductor.

Hat Kid gasped as her eyes sparkled. "Conductor...are these your kids?"

Conductor looked to the side sheepishly as he picked up one of the little baby birds. "They're me grandchildren, actually. The missus is busy and she wanted me to take them along their first cruise."

"They're soooo cuuuuute!" She laid on her stomach and smiled brightly to one of the babies. They peeped, waddled up to her, and gently patted her face. Hat Kid giggled and held her pointer fingers up, allowing the baby bird to grasp them.

Conductor quietly smiled, seeing this cute interaction between Hat Kid and one of his grandkids. Then his smile vanished when he remembered something important he wanted to say to her, but never got the chance to.

"Oh and uh, lass?" Hat Kid looked up. She then stood up, gently freeing her fingers from the baby bird's grasp.

The Conductor looked to the side with a hint of guilt and said, "Sorry about the whole...knife incident."

"Knife incident?" She then blinked, remembering their battle at Dead Bird Studios. "Ohh...oh right." She frowned a little, lightly twiddling her fingers. She almost questioned why he was apologizing, but then she remembered that he didn't give a sincere apology about that. At least, not when he wasn't drunk.

"Yeah. I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner...but what's a wee argument between colleagues though, right lassie?" He tried to offer a small sheepish smile.

Hat Kid smiled a little. "Heh, I guess so. I'm just glad we were able to move past it."

Conductor's smile widened a bit more, relieved to feel like they can finally move on. He then looked down at the grandkid he was holding and said, "Anyway, I'd better go ask about the childcare on board. I love these little blighters but I cannae bring them to the bar with me, can I?"

Hat Kid nodded and mentally hoped that he won't overdrink like the last time she saw him at a bar. "I'll see you on board then." The two waved and Hat Kid continued exploring around, hoping to see more of her friends.

Over to the left, she then spotted a few Moon Penguins. She waved and went up to one of them. The Moon Penguin continued leaning against the palm tree, snapping its flipper. But he seemed happy to see Hat Kid as he showed a small genuine smile.

"Heya, kid. Glad to see you're coming along."

Hat Kid nodded, then looked around. She stopped smiling when she realized that DJ Grooves wasn't around. That's strange...if the Moon Penguins are here, shouldn't he be here too?

"Is DJ Grooves already on board?"

The Moon Penguin lightly flicked his fedora up and replied, "No. The boss did want to be here, but when he heard the Conductor is here, he decided to focus on his next movie instead."

Well, that's a bummer. And a bit surprising. Hat Kid figured that the Conductor would skip the cruise just to make his movies, especially if his rival was going to be on board. ...Maybe Hat Kid can talk to Grooves afterward.

"But he let you guys go?"

"Yeah. The tickets for this thing were pricey, but we helped ourselves to the old one-flipper discount, if you know what I mean." The Moon Penguin showed a small smirk.

Hat Kid at least had a small idea what he meant and she gave a small nod. "Alright. Well, then I'll see you guys on board!" She waved and headed to the entryway to the ship. As she was heading to the entrance, she stopped.

Standing at the entrance was the Walrus Captain himself. He looked as moody as he appeared on TV. He had two cigarettes in his mouth and wore his captain shirt and hat. Despite his appearance, Hat Kid knew that captains of any ship must be respected. They are the ones that help give you a safe trip, after all.

The captain quietly pulled out his walkie-talkie and pressed the button. It beeped and he asked in a gruff voice, "Are we ready to sail?"

On the other end, there was a loud crashing sound and a seal barking noise. He cringed by the noise and sighed, turning off the walkie-talkie and clipping it back on his captain's coat.

"Everyting okay, captwain?" The little seal next to him looked up to him, concerned.

"It's fine. Just continue greeting the guests." He pinched his nose with his flippers, seemingly in frustration or annoyance. He was not in the mood to deal with any problems.

Hat Kid approached the two with a small smile. The baby seal brightly smiled and said, "Hewwo, miss! Wewcome to the Awtic Cwuise! We howp you have a gweat twime!" Oh no, they're adorable. Hat Kid must resist hugging.

Nonetheless, she couldn't keep the bright smile off her face. "Thank you." She then looked up to the captain and saluted, showing a sign of respect. He looked down at her and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh...you look a little young to be sailing alone, pup."

"Oh, I'm not alone, sir. I have my friends coming too." Hat Kid gave him a reassuring smile, still saluting.

"Whatever. Just don't get in anyone's way. The 'crew' do enough of that already."

"Yes, sir!" With a little skip in her step, she headed forward. The captain watched her go. What an odd kid. Maybe she won't be too much trouble though.

As Hat Kid headed towards the bridge, she then spotted a new odd creature. He looked like a fish...but with legs and red bellboy service clothes. Not to mention his head looked like it was sideways, like if one held a fish upright.

Curious, Hat Kid approached the strange fish man. He smiled and spoke kinda like a surfer guy. "Hey there, dude! Dudette, I mean. I'm like, ready for a nice cruise, aren't you?"

She gave a small nod with a tiny smile. He seemed kinda cool. "Hopefully there's nothing fishy about this ship, y'know." Oh no, the fish puns are coming back to haunt her. ...Maybe she'll use them on Snatcher sometime. A tiny mischievous grin seemed to show briefly at the thought.

"I got ripped off on a dodgy vacation last year. It was like, not rad at all. Oh, and dudette. You want me to take your bag for ya?"

Hat Kid snapped out of her thoughts and showed a small considerate smile. "Oh, no thanks. It's not too much trouble."

"Alright then. Well, have fun lil dudette." She thanked him and headed forward. Just before she headed to the bridge though, she spotted the Mafia Boss. Now aside herself, she bought tickets for him as well. Maybe he'd hate her less if she offered him a nice vacation. A few Mafioso were going to come as well to help take care of him and relax too.

As she approached and greeted the Mafia Boss, he hopped up and down in irritation as he said, "Ah! First you have me killed, then you torment me by booking passage on the only cruise liner here with facilities for people in jars! Such a rude little child. Were I not in a pleasant holiday mood, (and still without a body), I would take my revenge right here and now!"

Hat Kid chuckled a little. Even when she signs him up for a vacation, he still tries to appear threatening. By the sound of it though, he could be mildly grateful that Hat Kid brought him along.

"I'll see you on board then." With a small wave, she decided to explore around and get a good look at the ship on the outside. She also got to see the name of the ship: _S.S._ _Literally_ _Can't Sink_. ...Why did that seem foreboding?

Hat Kid shook off the thought and continued looking around. She then spotted a large crate with piles of purple leaves and vines scattered around it. Strange...what could be inside?

Hat Kid quietly approached and jolted a little when the crate cleared its throat. Then it shouted, "AHHHHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! FOOOOOooo–wait a minute." A glowing yellow eye inside was then peeking through one of the holes in the crate. Hat Kid knew that glow and that laugh. She smiled brightly and waved.

"Hi, Snatcher!"

"It's you? Again? Ugh, you show up in my forest, assault me, refuse to leave, and then turn up to ruin my vacation too? You really are just the worst, kiddo."

"Love you too, BFF." She said with a small smirk. She swore she saw his eye twitch.

"I'm _NOT_ your friend."

All teasing aside, Hat Kid was curious as she asked, "So...if you're here for the cruise, why are you…?"

"Yes. I'm hiding in a crate. Tickets are expensive." Hat Kid would've figured that he would've gotten a lot of pons from the victims that he steals their souls from. If that's not the case, then he just earned a little more respect from Hat Kid.

She patted the crate and said, "Alright then. I'll hopefully see you on board then." She then headed to the bridge, suitcase still on hand. Snatcher grumbled a little but repositioned himself into a more comfortable position as he waited to be boarded.

Hat Kid headed up the inclined bridge and reached the Lido Deck. A seal was there to greet her to say, "Wewcome abwoard!" Hat Kid smiled, set down her suitcase and took a good look around. Banners hung above her, there were wooden reclining chairs to lay back on and get a tan, and there were tables to sit down at and enjoy drinks. One floor down for the Lido Deck, there was a crystal clear blue pool with a few baby seals swimming with floaties. More chairs were there as well as a floatie stand, a bar, and a water slide.

If Hat Kid wasn't excited before, she sure is now. She's only looking around on the Lido Deck and she can already tell there's so much she can do.

"Attention, this is your Captain speaking." Hat Kid looked up to one of the speakers on the deck. "Is this thing turned on? *Ahem* All passengers, please check in at the lobby desk. I'll be on board shortly."

Hat Kid nodded, picking her suitcase back up. She headed to the right side of the ship and through a door to the inside. She was now standing on the balcony of the Grand Lobby. 4 to 5 floors of many rooms for each passenger. In the middle of the lobby, there appears to be a sort of mermaid statue with a large waterfall flowing behind it and a garden surrounding it. Everything looked so fancy. It was almost like parts of it were painted in gold.

A baby seal standing on the balcony then warned Hat Kid, "Pwease watch youw step, miss! It's a big dwop past this railing." Hat Kid nodded and leaped off, umbrella ready. Soon as she got close to the bottom floor, she opened her umbrella and landed safely.

Following the signs to the reception desk, she headed down a couple floors alongside the deck and through a purple carpeted hallway. As she approached the reception desk doors, an announcement bell was heard.

"Attention, passengers. And…'crew'. The ship is now leaving. Please try not to fall off." Hat Kid wobbled as she felt the ship shake a little and sway. They really are setting off. Once she found her balance, she continued forward into the Main Lobby.

Walking up to the desk, she showed her ticket confirmation paper and the seal nodded. One of the other baby seals offered to take her luggage to her room and Hat Kid thanked them.

"Hewe is youw woom key, miss." The seal nudged a small key to Hat Kid with a room number tag attached. The room number was 205. Must mean she's on the second floor.

After thanking the receptionist, she headed to her room. After unlocking the door, she took a good look around her temporary room. It had blue carpeting, blue comfy bed sheets, a couple of red and white shelves with extra blankets and towels, and a balcony that faced the Grand Lobby. It also had a nice restroom with bubble patterned wallpaper and any small bathing necessities. Hat Kid would prefer to have a _lot_ more pillows just like her room, but these accommodations will do nicely.

Her suitcase was delivered and set aside clumsily at the foot of the bed. Hat Kid hopped up and fell back onto the bed. With a content sigh, she looked up at the ceiling with a warm smile. After going on a long journey for weeks, she deserved a vacation like this. And with almost all her friends on board, she had a good feeling about this trip.

She can plan to take the time to explore the ship tomorrow. For now though, she headed to the Dining Hall to enjoy some well-cooked food and relaxed in her room. She did request more pillows and was provided with at least 3 more. That'll have to do for now. Once she set her hat on the nightstand, she snuggled into the blankets and surrounding pillows and fell into a peaceful sleep.

Later that night, shooting stars rained down from the sky. But a few of those made a sort of jingling noise and shined a little brighter than the other stars.

A couple even crashed on the ship. Hat Kid, half-asleep, faintly heard the jingling that rang throughout the ship.

" _...Is...that the sound...of a Timepiece?_ "


	2. Broken Pieces

AHHHHHH I'm sorry this took so long! A hiatus happened. But after hearing the announcement of the upcoming Nyakuza DLC, I got reinspired and determined to keep going on this. I thank all of you for being patient with this. Anyways, enough rambling! Let us finally continue.

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Hat Kid mumbled in her sleep as she slowly sat up, rubbing her eyes. With a yawn, she stretched and climbed out of bed, running her hands through her messy hair. She had a strange dream last night...at least it seemed like a dream. Something about Time Pieces. She swore she heard their normal jingle.

But after a couple moments of collecting her thoughts, she smiled a little and said to herself, "No, that's ridiculous." She knew before her journey, she started with 40. Then after her journey, she ended with 40. She didn't know anywhere else they could have come from. For all she knew, the sound of jingling could've came from the Time Piece she had on hand.

...But maybe to confirm her doubts, she should double-check. She grabbed her normal outfit, got dressed, and brushed her hair and teeth. Putting on her hat, she headed to the Main Lobby.

She walked up to the front desk and went on her tiptoes to talk one of the seals. "Excuse me?"

One of the seals looked down to Hat Kid and replied, "Hi! How can I hewp you?"

"I'm looking for a sort of...hourglass thing. It looks like this." She then held up one of her own Time Pieces to give them a proper idea of how it looks.

The seal's eyes squinted in concentration as he looked over the Time Piece. "Hmmm...whewe have I seen that...thinking vewy hawd…"

As Hat Kid waited for an answer, a seal behind her was pushing a cart with a large pile of luggage stacked on it. The seal then tripped over their own flipper and pushed the cart forward towards another large pile of luggage. "Uh oh!"

The luggage collided and fell all over the lobby. Hat Kid and the reception desk seal looked over to where the mess happened. Hat Kid then spotted something that was underneath the second pile of luggage that fell over and gasped. There were a couple pieces of shattered glass and wooden rims and base sitting around it. Hat Kid recognized the pieces. It was a Time Piece!

The reception desk seal spotted the pieces as well and said, "Oh! I wemember! We bwoke one of those and hid it fwom the Captain! He wouldn't be vewy happy if he knew we made a mess. We twied to cwean it up, but. Um. Hm. We didn't do a vewy good job...and we wost some of the pieces. I'm vewy sowwy, miss! Pwease don't be upset!"

Hat Kid was shocked for more than one reason. Not only is the Time Piece _completely_ shattered, but there is _actually_ another Time Piece! How was it possible though? She had 40. Her computer counted 40. Surely she didn't miscount.

Then again, maybe her vault popped open again and the Time Pieces escaped. Hat Kid groaned at the thought. That would mean she would have to search the planet all over again just to find her Time Pieces _again_. ...Maybe it'll be easier though since most of the people she has met here are her friends and/or possible family.

Hat Kid took a deep breath. Just as she started her journey long ago with one to help give her confidence to carry out her plan on getting the Time Pieces, she will start one now to start once more.

She walked up to the broken Time Piece and picked up one of the broken glass pieces. This damage seems serious. It's in more pieces than one, which in this case is terrible. " _Maybe I can put it back together if I find the missing shards,_ " she thought.

Judging by the size of the shards already here, she'll need to find about 11 of them. But even if she puts it back together, it won't work without its sand. She'll get to that problem when she reaches it though. Her main focus now is to find all the pieces and put it back together. Then she'll worry about powering it and fixing a possible Time Rift that may have occurred when it was damaged.

Hat Kid hummed, tapping her top hat. She could sense one shard close by. Looking up at the large fan air vents, she hopped up onto the piles of luggage and made her way to the vents. She spotted a faintly glowing glass shard jammed between one of the fan's blades and the vent itself. She cautiously pulled on the shard as hard as she could. But that only resulted in having a small cut appear on her hand from it scratching the broken glass.

When she gets it out, she should really not carry it in her pocket or even be grabbing it with her hands. Hopping down while holding her injured hand, she goes back up to the desk. "Um...do you guys have bandages and protective gloves?"

The seal looked worried, seeing her hand. "Did you get an ouchie, miss?" Hat Kid looked down and gave him a small nod. The seal then went under the desk and pulled out a roll of bandages. Hat Kid politely took it and thanked him as she began fixing herself up.

"If you awe looking fow gwoves, miss, you can check the kitchen." Hat Kid gave him a grateful smile as she finished wrapping the bandage around her hand. "Thank you."

Hat Kid decided to grab the gloves before she went around picking up broken glass shards. She looked to the air vent and said, "I'll be back for you later." She then headed to the kitchen.

Navigating through the ship, she eventually found the kitchen. Now the kitchen was nothing bad compared to the Mafia's kitchen, but it didn't look safe to be in. There were open ovens spouting fire every now and then, spills all over the floor, and messy dishes stacked on the countertops. The smell of the area wasn't horrid, but it did smell like various dishes were burning. Not a pleasant scent. Not to mention it was mildly hot in the kitchen. Most likely due to the fires.

She carefully went up to the seal wearing a chef's hat and asked if he had any protective gloves she could use.

"Oh yes! They'we ovew thewe. Hanging on the wack near the Lawndry Woom." Hat Kid looked over to where the seal pointed and spotted the gloves on a small hook. Hat Kid has seen gloves like those before; they were meant to be worn when using really big sharp knives. They'll be perfect.

Hat Kid grabbed them and slipped them on. Protected, she was ready to collect her Time Piece's shards. Speaking of, she did sense two close by. Looking around, she spotted a faintly glowing shard sitting at the top of a pastry shelf. That can't be proper food safety.

Hopping up carefully, she grabbed the shard. Now where to keep it secure is the question. She looked around the kitchen then spotted a sort of empty food container sitting on the countertop. Hat Kid smiled and grabbed it, then put the Time Piece shard inside. Sealing the container, Hat Kid put it in her pocket.

Now, using her top hat, she sensed the next one just outside the kitchen in the Dining Hall. She headed out of the kitchen and spotted a distressed Mafioso where she sensed the Time Piece shard. She walked up to the Mafioso, questioning why he looked upset. He had his hands over his mouth and he looked like he was in pain.

"Mafia bit down on something hard in this food! Child should take it back to kitchen. Please." Well at least he said please. Hat Kid looked at the dish on the table, which had a large piece of meat surrounded by lettuce on it, and picked it up. She nodded and headed back to the kitchen, tossing it in the sink.

As she did, she then spotted a Time Piece shard underneath the lettuce. With a small smile, she grabbed it and put it in the container. That clears out the kitchen and Dining Hall. Hat Kid decided to check the Laundry Room next since it was close by.

Going down the staircase, she looked around the large room. Due to the ship swaying, there were carts going back and forth across the room. She'll have to watch out for those. There were towering white shelves filled with clean bed sheets, towels, laundry detergent, and fabric softener. There were also at least 6 washing machines with 6 dryers to accompany them.

Hat Kid dodged the carts as she approached one of the active washing machines. She then realized it was on its wash cycle without detergent. That won't get the clothes clean. She has made that mistake once and that resulted in wet, dirty clothes.

Looking around, she spotted a bottle of laundry detergent. It was pink and had a baby seal on the cover with bubbles. Hat Kid grabbed it and put in the proper amount of detergent. As she was doing so, she then spotted something shiny in one of the clothing articles. She paused the wash and dug through the clothes to find a Time Piece shard. Squeaky clean too.

Pocketing it in the container, she began heading back to the Main Lobby to get the shard in the vent. But before she did, she sensed a Time Piece shard not too far away. She climbed back up the stairs and exited the kitchen. Heading to the side deck, she stopped at a restroom, closed for cleaning. A Moon Penguin was waiting outside it, looking anxious. Looks like he really needs to go.

Hat Kid rubbed her top hat, sensing a shard inside. But how was she going to get it? There has to be another way in. Like an air vent she can crawl through. Climbing over the wall onto a higher level of the side deck, she hopped down to the other side. No entrance to the bathroom there, but she did spy a wide-open air vent.

As she climbed up to crawl in, she stopped, seeing a shard sitting on the rim of it. She picked it up and pocketed it. That's 4 shards so far. Using her top hat, she sensed the next shard up on the Lido Deck. She climbed her way up and checked around.

While she was looking around on deck, a seal with a waiter coat went up to her and said, "H-hewwo miss! Can you hewp me with something?"

Hat Kid hummed. If it won't take too long, she was willing to help out someone in need. Besides, she can't really say no to the baby seal's cute face. She nodded with a small smile, which made the seal smile brightly.

"Thank you, miss! I need hewp bwinging the empty glasses from the tables to the bar, but I already dwoppeded some. Can you hewp me bwing the ones that aren't bwoken to the bar?"

Hat Kid nodded and checked the top level of the Lido Deck, where most of the tables were. She spotted 3 platters of empty glasses, one for each table. Hat Kid rubbed her hands together, knowing her balancing act is going to have to kick it up a notch.

She headed from table to table, picking up each platter and stacking it on top of the other. She wobbled back and forth, trying to keep the stack in balance. She then carefully hopped down and placed all 3 of the platters on the countertop of the bar. As she did, she then spotted a shard in one of the drinks. For a moment, she mistook it for ice. She was quietly glad she didn't overlook it more.

Carefully getting the shard, she put it away in the container. That makes 5. As she was about to head to her next destination on the ship to find more shards, she then stopped, seeing the Conductor sitting on one of the stools.

He was quietly sipping his glass, but he looked a little tipsy. Concerned, Hat Kid approached. Conductor didn't notice her at first as he turned to the seal and said, "Heyy...get me a Sinking Ship, oan the rocks. And make the good part a double."

Hat Kid carefully tugged on the Conductor's train coat sleeve to get his attention. He looked to her, a little dazed. At least he wasn't angry like the last time she encountered him when he got drunk.

"Oh, I didn't notice yer there, lassy. Out roamin', are we?" He gave her a small, goofy smile and tousled her hair. She moaned a little, annoyed by the hair tousle. It makes her feel like a little kid. Well, she _is_ one, but it's still kinda embarrassing.

"Ye know, if yer after a drink, ah think they might have some wee bottles of juice. Yer a capable one, sure, but what ah'm having isnae fer young lasses."

"I'll...pass on the drinks. Where are your grandkids by the way?"

"They're already at the Daycare Center. The lil' blighters are being watched by the crew." He let out a small hiccup and chuckled a little.

"Alright...just make sure you take it easy on the drinks, please." She did not want a repeat of what happened last time.

He mumbled something incomprehensible and waved his winged-hand dismissively to her. Hat Kid accepted that as a confirmed response. Focusing back on the mission at hand, she headed below deck to check for more shards.

She sensed one just past the Captain's Quarter. Once she reached the hallway, she then spotted a shard...in the middle of an open broken hallway with an open flowing pipe. It was dangling dangerously close to the edge, close to falling into the water pit below.

Hat Kid carefully hopped onto the pipe and grabbed the shard, putting it away. Over halfway done. Next door was the Casino and she sensed a shard within. Normally, she was not allowed to be in a grown-up place like that. But if she wanted to put the Time Piece back together, she'll need to enter.

She carefully snuck in and looked around. There were a lot of colorful slot machines and poker tables in the blue-carpeted, glass aquarium walled room. There was a computer screen at the Casino reception desk that showed the Grand Prize to those who are lucky. 5 _million_ pons. Hat Kid can understand why grown-ups would want to come here. With that many pons, she could probably buy all of Badgeseller's badges, upgrades for her ship, and a lifetime supply of pillows.

Checking with her top hat, she could sense the shard in one of the machines. She walked up to the slot machine, getting good vibes from it. She'll need chips to play though. Maybe if she asked nicely at the desk? No, they wouldn't just let a child gamble.

Hat Kid was about to come up with an elaborate plan to break the machine when she spotted a pile of chips on a nearby poker table. With a tiny mischievous smile, she went up to the table and snatched the chips. "Yoink!" She then dashed to the slot machine and inserted the chips.

"I'm feeling lucky." She pulled the lever on the side. As the numbers went flowing, a small bang then went off in it and a shard came out. "Nice! Got the prize I wanted." She put away the shard. Only 4 left.

She exited the Casino by climbing up to the next level, heading to the Grand Lobby. She sensed a Time Piece shard on one of the balconies. She climbed her way up to one of the balconies on the second floor and spotted the shard on her balcony. How she didn't notice it before was beyond her. She grabbed it and put it away. 3 more to go.

Heading back to the reception desk, she hopped up the luggage back to the vent with the Time Piece shard lodged in. She pulled with all her might and got it out without a scratch this time. Putting it away, she had only 2 left.

She hummed in thought on where to check next. Where hasn't she looked on this whole ship? Perhaps a balcony or below deck. She spotted an open door behind the reception desk and hopped over. With a quick apology, she slid down to the engine room.

The engine room looked more hazardous than the kitchen itself. Large air pumps and electricity at the floor. At the second floor of this room was...an octopus? He looked like he was running the whole thing, attached to the pumps and machinery.

Curious, she carefully hopped onto the pumps and up to the metal platform where the octopus stood.

"Excuse me?"

The octopus looked down and spoke in a deep, electric tone as he said to Hat Kid, "Watch your step there, spark! It'd be real shocking if you slipped!"

Did he just make an electricity pun?

He continued, "I'm positive they could make it a little safer down here, but I guess that'd really amp up the costs." He chuckled to himself.

Oh yes, he said electric puns. Hat Kid resisted the urge to chuckle. She's better than this.

"Anyway, it's nice to have a guest down here. Most folks don't appreciate the hard work I put in to keep the mood electric."

"Heh...yeah, well uh…" Hat Kid glanced around. "Any chance you've spotted a sort of glass shard around here?"

"Shockingly yes, right over there. I was wondering watt it was doing down here."

Oh these puns were going to be the death of her. She looked over to where the octopus motioned his large yellow eyes to. She spotted the shard laying on the metal floor not far from them. Once obtained, she said a quick thank you and got out of the engine room before the octopus (ex-staticly) tells more puns.

As Hat Kid exited out to the side path of the ship, just before she could question where the last Time Piece shard is, she heard crying. It sounded like someone was in pain. Now concerned, she hopped onto a safe boat tarp and bounced up to the pathway where the source of crying was coming from.

When she lands, she sees a seal on its side, crying in pain. Hat Kid's heart twisted up at the sight. She couldn't stand seeing something as cute as this baby seal in pain and tears. She immediately went to their aid.

"Are you okay, little guy?"

"I huwt mysewlf...will you take me to the captwain, pwease?" Hat Kid noticed the rolling carts nearby. Poor guy must've gotten hit when the ship was moving.

She picked up the baby seal in her arms and said, "Don't worry, I gotcha." She carefully heads forward, hopping around the deck to find the Control Room, where the Captain should be, steering the ship.

Luckily, it didn't take long to find the room. There were monitors that showed the main rooms of the ship and a two-way stairway that lead to the main control panel. The Captain was sitting in a revolving chair at the wheel while a few baby seals were on the side, making sure everything was functioning at the controls.

Hat Kid approached the Captain, setting the baby seal close by carefully. "Oh captain, my captain!" She then salutes as he turns around.

"Oh, it's you again, pup...what do you want?"

"I am sorry for taking your time, but this seal needs help." She points to the baby seal in pain. The Captain looked at the seal, then back to Hat Kid as he adjusted the cigarettes in his mouth.

"One of the crew hurt themselves again? What do I look like, a doctor? Kiss it better yourself."

So dismissive. That made Hat Kid's salute falter a bit. Shouldn't a captain be concerned for his crewmates health? Nonetheless, he gave her an order and she was going to do it.

She looked to the baby seal and questioned where it hurt. The baby seal put up his flipper, which had a small bruise on it. Hat Kid smiled a little and gently kissed the injury.

The baby seal stood back upright, feeling less pain in his flipper. "Thank you fow kissing my ouchie, miss! I feew bettew alweady! I fwound this shiny gwass, but it's all youws."

The baby seal then held out the last Time Piece shard Hat Kid needed. Hat Kid eagerly thanked the seal and pocketed it. Now she all the shards. If she could figure out where the sand is, it might get repaired.

"What are you doing going around collecting glass, pup?" Hat Kid turned her attention back to the captain and saluted once more.

"Well, sir, they are pieces of an important artifact to me that I needed to find. Now I just need to find some sparkling sand and I should be able to fix it."

"Spawkwing sand? Ohh, I wemembew cweaning that up! I still have the bag of it." He then pulled out a small bag of the Time Piece's sand. Hat Kid smiled and thanked the seal once more as she took it.

Now carefully, she assembled the shards together and poured the sand. The broken Time Piece began to shake and glow as it began to piece itself together. Then with a small burst of energy, it was repaired and back to its floating, glowing glory.

The seal said "Oooooh" in amazement while the Captain looked shocked by what he witnessed. What sort of strange magic was this pup holding onto?

Hat Kid smiled and pocketed the Time Piece, then turned her attention to the Captain. "It's a Time Piece. It's something I need to keep safe so that time won't get messed up. So...please don't try to use them. It'll end badly."

The Captain blinked, then shrugged, looking dismissive. "Eh, not interested. Long as that thing doesn't wreck my boat, you do whatever you want with it."

Hat Kid exhaled with relief. Now with that out of the way, she quietly looked to the previously injured seal and hummed in thought.

"Actually Captain, I have a bit of a request."

He gave her a questionable look as he let out a small puff of smoke.

"Could I perhaps help out around the ship?"


	3. Working Through Wounds

"What's that, pup? You want to help out?"

Hat Kid nodded. After seeing how the seals were doing their job and the state of the ship, she wanted to make sure this experience was pleasant for everyone.

The Captain thought it over for a moment as he looked down at the little girl, standing firm and with a salute. She seemed like the ambitious, respectful kind of kid that could help out. The seals seem to mess everything up every now and then. Maybe she can fix the messes made.

"Hmph. Eh, sure. Maybe something will get done around this mess of a boat for once. It'd be a first."

Hat Kid quietly clapped, seeming a little eager to start. She could just picture it now: walking around with a sort of vice captain's hat, shown respect by everyone on board for how greatly she helped.

"Alright. You need to deliver drinks, some food, and a few other things. And do it quickly, pup. Oh, and there are some other jobs that'll need doing. So pay attention. Are you ready to start?"

"Heck yeah! Er, sir."

"Good. You can start by getting rid of these boxes for me. It's starting to get messy in here…" He gestured to the empty pizza boxes sitting off to the side. Hat Kid firmly nodded and picked them up, heading to the kitchen to trash them.

Once that was done, she hummed, now questioning how she was going to know where else she needs to be. Then, as if her silent question was answered, she felt her top hat sense that she is needed at the casino.

She dashes over to the desk, where a seal was trying to carry a large pile of chips to one of the roulette tables. Hat Kid quickly helped. "I got it!" She took it over to the Express Owl waiting on them.

"Thwank woo miss!" Hat Kid nodded to the seal with a small smile. Now she was needed at Reception Room.

There, a crow held out enclosed slips of paper to her and said, "Please pass these plain, uncoded messages along for me."

Strange, but these were the Crow agents. They were always suspicious. She looked over to the crows sitting on the far side of the Reception Room and headed over. She handed them over to the Crow, who opened them and said to Hat Kid, "Ah, thank you for these ordinary letters, fellow passenger."

Hat Kid nodded once more, but she had no time to sit down or talk. She was now needed at the desk as she saw a seal wave her over. She goes over and the seal asked, "Awe woo hewlping the captwain?"

Hat Kid nodded and the seal then placed two neatly folded towels on the desk, "Gweat! Could woo pewhaps take this to the guest in Woom 316?"

Hat Kid saluted in a way of silently saying, "You can count on me!" She took the towels and dashed to Grand Lobby. Hopping up the palm trees and to the third floor, she hopped from balcony to balcony until she spotted the guest. A Moon Penguin.

Panting, she handed him the towels. "Oh great! My extra towels. Thanks, kid." She gave him a thumbs-up. Now she was needed at the second floor of the Starboard Wing. No wait, there and the Captain's room? Oh boy…

She dashed down the first floor of Starboard Wing to grab a toolbox, then dashed back to the Captain's room. She quickly grabbed an empty Chinese food box and dashed to the bathroom. Along the way, she jumped through the kitchen and tossed the empty food box into the dumpster. She nailed the shot, of course.

She then tossed the toolbox beside the seal, who was working on a main air duct. "Thanks for the hewlp!" She waved and jumped up to the third floor. Now she needed another toolbox _and_ batteries for the engine room. Oh no, now someone's calling her at the reception desk.

From then on, this job was a lot more than Hat Kid bargained for. She kept running left and right, balancing everything she can balance as she ran to various places. She almost messed up on a few tasks as well. For example, she almost threw an empty pizza box from the Captain's room into the washing machine instead of detergent.

There were a few spots she couldn't make it to in time as well. When the baby seals tried to do the job for her, they, of course, immediately messed it up. This made it worse for her since that just gave her more work.

She was practically doing 6 jobs at once. She was needed in so many places. Needless to say, Hat Kid was stressed. It got worse when she found out the Conductor's grandchildren were out of the Daycare center playpen and around the ship. If she didn't catch up fast enough, a few would've gone overboard. Thank the stars she had a sprint hat on.

Until, after practically doing a marathon around the ship, she heard the intercom go off. The Captain then spoke and said, "Attention. This is your Captain speaking. You can stop now, pup. Come back to Control, I guess."

Hat Kid let out a long exhale and walked back to the Captain's room after throwing an extra pillow at a Mafioso guest. She was panting, sweating, and overall physically exhausted. Nonetheless, she approached the Captain's chair and saluted as he turned to her. He was watching her progress over the control panel's cameras.

"Well, looks like you actually cleaned up more mess than you made, pup. That's more than most of the crew can manage." Hat Kid smiled despite her exhaustion. The Captain actually did seem impressed as he showed a tiny amused smile.

"Why don't you help yourself to something in the Lost and Found? Nobody ever comes back for that stuff anyway." She nodded and headed to the Reception Desk. Oh, she was going to get more than just something from the Lost and Found. She was going to get a relaxing spa treatment if she can. Usually when grown-ups work really hard, they wish for that. Maybe she'll get the privilege in getting one after working so hard.

With the captain's permission, the seals allowed her to look through the cardboard box labelled, "Found L̶o̶s̶t̶ Lots of Stuff!" The second she opened it, she gasped. A Time Piece! How did that get in there? She took it and pocketed it with no hesitation. Now this is what she can call a real reward. Everything else inside was just stuff she didn't want, such as a purple block, a deflating balloon, and an old book called "How to Write Lore in 5 Minutes."

Come to think of it, doesn't Snatcher like old books? She hasn't seen him on her run around the ship. Maybe she could give her BFF a small treat.

As she grabbed the book and headed below deck, she looked around for his crate. Just past the Engine Room, there was the storage area. Large crates of supplies surrounded the room. A few smaller crates were rocking with the boat just like the carts. Thankfully, the giant ones were hooked down.

As she was about to call out for her contractually obligated BFF, she heard jingling. She stopped and listened. No, not jingling...but some sort of chiming. Like a time rift. She followed the sound and, from behind a large stack of crates, she confirmed her suspicions. A time rift. A purple one, no less.

She sighed, knowing she had to take care of it, despite still being mildly exhausted from doing all those jobs earlier. She tucks the book away and places her hand on the rift, disappearing into it.

When she entered, she gasped at the sight and almost covered her mouth in doing so. It was like an underwater world, and not like the one in the blue time rifts. There were bubbles coming out of her mouth and it gave off an undersea atmosphere, but there were also undersea items around as well. Giant starfish, sunken treasure, coral, sea urchins, and seaweed.

An undersea rift. Fitting given she found it on a cruise ship.

She tucks down her top hat and began navigating through. Needless to say, this purple rift was the hardest out of all the purple rifts she has visited. So many tricky stunts and platforms to reach. The giant starfish were weird to step on too. It did not seem to hurt them at least. There were even fire jets! Underwater fire jets! How does that make sense?

But like any other rift, she manages to make it through to the end with nine story pages on hand as well. Tumbling out of a giant sunken treasure chest was the time rift. She smashes it with her umbrella and collected the Time Piece. Two in one day. Not bad.

Once she exited the rift, it sealed shut and Hat Kid stood back upright. She then looked down at herself and blinked in mild surprise. She was _soaked_. It was like she went for a long swim in her usual outfit. She took out the book she had for Snatcher and found it with soaked pages. When she turned one, it went to pieces. So much for a gift for her BFF.

She then gasped, hoping the storybook she got from the rift didn't get affected the same way. Much to her relief and mild surprise, it was completely dry. The title read, "Lost at Sea." It had a broken ship wheel slightly submerged in water.

She turned to the first page and immediately said to herself, "Ohh, this is about the Captain!" The first page showed what seems to be a child version of the Captain. He wore a blue sailor hat and was in a classroom. There was an elder seal with a bushy black mustache and a captain's hat with a wheel pointing at the blackboard, which had a picture of a boat. He must be the Captain's tutor.

On the next page, it showed a sort of graduation photo. The elder seal was standing on a stool right next to the Captain, who now looked older than his last picture. The Captain held a scroll in his hand and had joyful tears in his eyes. That must his degree. There was a signature on the bottom right corner. Hat Kid couldn't figure out what it said. The cursive was too...cursive-y.

The next page showed the young Captain looking at a board that said, "Ship Assignments." A thought bubble was over his head, showing the elder seal plus him. Maybe he was hoping they would get to be captains of the same ship.

From the looks of the next page, however, it did not seem to be. His crew members were the seals that Hat Kid knew and adored for their cuteness. The elder seal had his own ship to be a captain of.

On the fifth page, it showed both the Captain and the elder seal captain getting on their own ships. The Captain seemed nervous as he watched the elder seal captain go. Was he worried for him or for himself?

The next page was simple. It showed the Captain's ship and the words, "Years later" over it. Seems some time has passed.

On the next page, a worried baby seal crew member was holding up a letter to the Captain. He looked about as old as he is today. The Captain had a thought bubble showing him and the elder captain pointing ahead in their chairs. Seems he had high hopes that this letter meant that they were finally going to meet up and sail together.

When Hat Kid turned the next page, she softly gasped and showed a sorrowful expression. The letter...it had the words, "R.I.P" on it. And it showed what it supposedly said. The elder seal captain was saluting...as his ship sunk. Hat Kid always knew the code of a Captain: good captains always go down with their ship. Honestly, if Hat Kid had to choose whether to live and get a new ship or die with her old one, she'd get out alive. There are people that care about her now after all.

Unfortunately...that's not what happened with the elder seal captain. The Captain looked sorrowful as he read over the letter.

On the final page, Hat Kid looked mildly shocked and heartbroken. All that was on that page was the Captain...sitting in his chair...depressed and with smoke surrounding him. Like he didn't care what happened to him now.

She closed the book and looked down in thought. Losing someone important like that...it explains why the Captain looked so...dismissive and unhappy. She always thought he was just being a bit of a grumpy guy. Sometimes some ship captains are like that. But no, he had his reasons. He lost someone really close to him and thought that life isn't worth caring about anymore.

She rubbed her eyes, making sure no tears will come. She then quietly granted safe wishes to the lost elder seal captain. May he sail well in the afterlife...if it does exist. With a small sniffle, she pocketed the storybook. Least she was somewhat dry now.

She then saw the area around her turn to shadows. Oh no...not now.

"HAHAHAHAAA! FOOOooo–...wait. You? Again?" Hat Kid sighed and turned around, seeing Snatcher behind her. He didn't even make her jump this time. He looked pretty annoyed.

"Can't you, for once, leave me be, kid? I'm trying to haunt some people on this ship." He crossed his arms. Why did she always have to interfere when he was busy with something? And why won't any baby seals or some curious passengers come down here instead?

To his surprise, she quietly replied, "Sorry, I was gonna give you a book but it got wet. I was gonna leave anyway…" She tried to show a small smile, but Snatcher can sense otherwise. She was sad. Was it because he was pushing her away? She doesn't usually get sad when he does that. She just laughs and gets more annoying.

She turned to leave, but Snatcher gently plucked her off her feet by her cape and turned her back around. The shadow atmosphere vanished as well. "Kid, what's eating you? Not like I care, but if it's about the book, that's not a big deal. I got plenty to read."

Hat Kid rubbed her eyes, looking away. "It's nothing."

Snatcher frowned. There was no way she was hiding this from him. He always knew what those two words together meant. "If it's nothing, then why do you look like you're about to cry?"

Hat Kid rubbed her eyes more, getting frustrated with herself. He can't know she found out about the Captain's past the way she did. What if he questions how she found out about _his_ past?

"I'm waiting for a real answer, kid." She knew he won't let her go if she doesn't tell the truth...but she'll need to bend the truth a bit to keep her knowledge a secret. She took a deep breath and looked up at him. He was giving her a sort of parental scowl.

"...Have you ever wondered...why the Captain seemed so sad?"

Well that seemed like a dumb question for him. Why would he care about why old coot looked down in the dumps? But his answer was, "Not really, why do you ask?"

Hat Kid had to watch her wording. "I...kinda learned that...the Captain went through something really bad. Losing someone really close to him. ...What could I do to help him?"

Snatcher blinked. She was asking _him_ for consolation advice? What the peck was she seeing him as? He was no good at this sort of case. Heck, the best he could probably give is love advice: "don't."

Snatcher sighed and lowered himself down, setting Hat Kid down in front of him. "Kid, I'm not good with this kind of thing...but I mean...let's put it this way. If you lost someone you really care about, what would _you_ want?"

Hat Kid blinked and thought it over. When she lost Tim, she felt alone and sad. But after knowing her old home was out there somewhere, she wanted to keep going for them. She wasn't sure if that was entirely true, but it did help. Who knows? Maybe the two people she knew that actually cared about her were still alive and there. But now, she has a lot of people that care about her here.

With that thought process, she looked up at Snatcher. "I...wouldn't want to be alone."

"Then...I don't know. Be there for him or show him there are others that can help him through his problem."

Hat Kid looked back down in thought. Then a small warm smile graced her face. Yeah...yeah, she _can_ do that! She certainly respected the captain and wanted to help him through his struggle. She knows herself what it's like to lose someone. Not to mention the seal crew members were always there for their captain. Despite their screw-ups, they want to do their best for him and make him happy.

Snatcher felt internally relieved, seeing the kid smile. Good, he hated it when she was really unhappy. Only because the aura she would give off when sad was not a great feeling. Not because he cared. No, not at all.

She looked up at Snatcher with the same warm smile and hugged his torso. "Thanks, BFF!"

He jolted and looked down at the kid, his eye twitching a bit. "What did I say about hugs, kid?!"

She giggled and unhugged. He nudged her away and "stood" back to his normal height. "Now, don't you have some other people you should be bothering someplace else?"

She shrugged and headed back upstairs with a wave. Snatcher sighed and gave a half-hearted wave back. That seemed to brighten her mood more as she left with an extra skip in her step. Once she was gone, Snatcher crossed his arms and shook his head. "Kids."

After the exhausting day Hat Kid has had, she personally wanted nothing more but to go to her room and sleep with her extra pillows. But she also had to come up with an elaborate plan to show the Captain that she is there for him just like his crew.

She thought this over at dinner and on her way back to her room. On her way back, however, she spotted the Conductor at the bar. He looked...tipsy. That might be a problem.

She cautiously approached the bar as the Conductor finished his pint and hiccuped. As he did so, he looked at Hat Kid and showed a goofy smile. "Ooh-hoo-hoo. 'ello lassie! How'd-uh-how-how's it going, eh? Ur ye havin' a guid holiday, lass?"

With that thick accent, Hat Kid confirmed her beliefs. He's drunk. At least he didn't appear violent like last time. She sighed and showed a tiny smile as she crossed her arms. "Yeah, how about you?"

"Ah, ah am! No Grooves, no movies. Jist me an' me guid friend reit here." He let out a content sigh as he raised his glass. "This is th' life, eh?" He tipped the glass to his mouth, then realized it was empty.

He looked through the bottom of it and asked, "...Ah wonder what th' rest of th' boat is like…" He hiccupped once more and set the glass down. "Bartender, 'nother round! On th' rocks!"

The seal then stated, "Uh, I'm sowwy sir, but I think woo had a bit too much."

The Conductor scowled at the baby seal. The seal quickly looked to Hat Kid in a way of silently asking for help. Hat Kid nodded and took the Conductor's hand. "If you want Conductor, we can get more drinks in your room."

"Me room? Ah, that's reit! Ah have some scotch in me briefcase." Hat Kid was quietly hoping he wasn't serious. At least he was complying. She quietly took the room key from his pocket and checked the number. 214. Great, same floor as her.

They make their way to the Grand Lobby, with Hat Kid supporting the Conductor best as she can. They would bump into a wall once or twice, but the Conductor wouldn't mind as he chuckled it off and say, "This boat is a wee bit rocky, eh lass?"

Soon, they reach the Conductor's room. To Hat Kid's surprise, it looked like it was barely touched. Come to think of it, earlier he questioned what the rest of the boat is like. Has he really only been to the bar?

Hat Kid hummed with concern as she motioned him to the bed. The least he should do is shower and get in some clean pajamas or something. He stinks like alcohol. She turned on the water in his bathroom to a moderate temperature and went back in the bedroom.

She yelped, seeing him open the bottle of scotch he mentioned and tip it to his mouth. She dashed over to him and grabbed it. "No Conductor, that's enough for tonight."

He looked angry. But when he reached to grab it, he collapsed onto the floor with a groan. Hat Kid sighed and put the cork back in the stinky-smelling bottle. She then hid the bottle under his bed. Least he won't be able to find it where he usually does.

She then helped him to his feet and to the bathroom. "C'mon, let's get you cleaned up." Once in the bathroom, she set him down near the shower stall and grabbed a couple clean towels.

"Okay, I'm gonna go to bed. You clean up and get some sleep, okay?"

He scoffed and crossed his arms. "Ah dun need tae sleep."

Hat Kid sighed. "Please, Conductor? For me?" He looked up at her pleading eyes for a moment. Then with a small sigh, he reached up and tousled her hair.

"Alright…"

She smiled, content with the answer. Leaving him to it, she said a quick goodnight and left his room, leaving his room key in said room.

She entered her room, got into clean pajamas after a shower, and collapsed on her bed. It didn't take long for her to fall asleep.


	4. Never Let Go

Of course, the way this chapter is written is inspired by ImmortalCoelacanth's version of this act on the Arctic Cruise: Frigid. Go check them out; they are an amazing writer! :3

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Hat Kid yawned as she woke up for the day, stretching. After tousling her hair, she puts it up in a ponytail with two strands sitting on her shoulders. Her usual look.

She rubbed her eyes and hopped out of bed. As she did so, she then gasped and hit her fist in the palm of her hand. She's got an idea on how to cheer up the Captain!

She quickly dug through her suitcase and pulled out some extra yarn. After making the Time Stop hat, she managed to stockpile a lot of yarn in her exploring adventures. She got to work, stitching quickly.

"One...two...presto!" She held up the newly made hat with pride. But this time, this one was not made for herself. Using the storybook she had for reference, she recreated the elder seal captain's hat. Kind of like in remembrance of him. Surely the Captain will love it.

With a skip in her step, she headed to the Captain's Room...only to find his chair empty. She looked around, confused. Where was he on the ship?

Patting her top hat, she had it sense where he was. She headed to the Upper Deck, but stopped, hearing chiming once more. Wait, was that coming from the Grand Lobby? She looked up from the Garden area and spotted it on the third floor. Using the palm trees, she hopped up onto the balcony.

The Captain probably won't go anywhere while she does this real quick. She placed her hand on the rift and entered the underwater-like rift. Looking around, she blinked in mild surprise. This rift seemed bigger than usual. There now zip-lines and long paths, some with sawblades running through.

Nonetheless, this shouldn't be too hard to take care of. Tilting her hat down, she headed forward. A few of the paths along the way were steep enough to slide down on, which Hat Kid happily did so with a simple, "Whee!"

There were a few platforms that required her Dweller Mask, which she kept on as she ran along the path. It didn't take too long to reach the Time Piece. A few slides, a couple zip-lines, and with a hop, skip and a jump, she grabs it. Once the Time Piece was obtained, she was teleported back onto the balcony as the rift closed.

44 Time Pieces now. She has more than enough to power her ship. Though, she still questioned where they came from. Did her computer really miscount and she had more than just 40? Were they just created out of the blue and fell from the sky like shooting stars? Or perhaps...

She then hummed in thought, then shook her head. No, she came here to be on vacation. To relax and not worry about Time Pieces and such. Besides, she had her own mission: to help the Captain.

Just to be assured there aren't any more Time Pieces to be worried about, she wore her top hat once more and tapped it, hoping it sensed anything related to the Time Pieces. It did pick up something from not too far away, but off the boat. She needed a better look.

She proceeded back on her path to the Upper Deck and looked off the portside of the boat. On an iceberg a little far away, she spotted something bright and sparkling, just like back at Alpine Skyline. A Time Piece!

Maybe she could convince the Captain to bring her closer or at least stop the ship close enough for her to get it. Luckily, she spotted the Captain just down the way, looking out in the same direction.

Hat Kid quickly zipped over to talk to him. She also still had her gift to give him as well. Two missions done in one conversation. No problem, right?

As she approached, she noticed he was still smoking two cigarettes...and it may not have been his first two for the morning. A baby seal beside him was balancing a large blue ash tray on his head. That tray was _full_ of cigarette ashes and cigarette buds. Hat Kid's nose scrunched up by the smell, but she was still set on talking with the Captain.

"Excuse me, Captain?" He glanced back to the young pup, who was saluting him. Odd how she always did that. She's not a crew member.

"Do I not look busy, pup? Go play somewhere else."

"Well, I understand you may be busy but–"

"Pup."

"I've been meaning to give you something and ask–"

"Kid!" Hat Kid jolted as he raised his voice a little. He seems a lot grumpier than usual today. The Captain took a moment to sigh and take a breath through the cigarettes he had.

When he let the smoke out with an exhale, he said, "Look, pup. Just let an old captain relax for once. The seals can handle things for a minute." He then mumbled under his breath, "Hopefully, they've learned not to mess with the steering wheel by now…"

Hat Kid frowned. She wanted to ask about the possible Time Piece and give him the hat...but she can hardly get a full sentence in. He really just wants to be left alone. She sighed and nodded. "Aye, aye."

The Captain nodded and turned back to the view. Hat Kid turned to leave, but then stopped. She did manage to catch what the Captain said about the steering wheel. If he's not at the wheel, it may run risk at crashing or something!

Perhaps if she could keep an eye on it, especially since she's done some good work for him, she can finally talk to him properly. With an eager smile, she dashes to the Captain's Room.

Thankfully, no seals have touched the wheel, let alone sat in the Captain's chair. ...Though, Hat Kid was curious about how comfy it was compared to hers. Looking left and right as the seals kept their attention on the monitors and panels, Hat Kid quietly climbed onto the Captain's chair.

It sank a little from her weight, but felt comfy. Could use a pillow or two, but comfortable nonetheless. The wheel was now in front of her as well. She could so easily drive this ship to the Time Piece. ...It wouldn't hurt to turn the ship just a little bit, right?

Hat Kid assured herself that she was able to pilot a spaceship. How hard could it be to steer a boat? Eager, she puts her hands on the wheel and proceeded to go left. But the handling was a lot more sensitive than she thought. A few baby seals yelped, being knocked to the left wall.

"Sorry!" It's okay, she'll just fix the position. She turned the wheel right, but that caused the ship to jerk right. The seals yelped once more, now flying to the right wall. This is not going as well as she planned it would.

This is fine though. They're on course to the iceberg with the Time Piece. Wait...they're on course _to the iceberg!_ Oh stars no! Hat Kid panicked and jerked the wheel left and right, trying to fix herself. She doesn't want to crash into it! She just wants to get close! Where was the brake on this thing?!

Suddenly, the Captain's panel pinged and a voice went through a small intercom. "Hewwo! The captwain has a messa–"

The Captain then spoke up. "Hand me that microphone! Who's at the wheel?!" Hat Kid's blood ran cold. She was busted, big time. But before she could figure out a way to hang up, the Captain's next message made her freeze up.

"We're headed straight for an iceberg! All hands on deck!"

Right after he stated that, Hat Kid felt the boat hit something hard. She was knocked out of the Captain's seat and she hit the monitors in front of her. She then collapsed on the ground from the impact.

Her ears were ringing and her head was spinning. But as she began regaining focus, she saw red flashing lights and alarms going off. There was screaming too. Sitting up, she gasped at the sight. She was not on the floor...but the wall! The ship was on its side and it was sinking fast.

...She really messed up this time.

She quickly got to her feet, wincing a bit. No major injuries at least. The intercom pinged and Hat Kid heard the Captain through it. At least he's alive.

"It's all going down, pup. I never thought I'd see the day. Her maiden voyage, too. Won't take more than a few minutes for all of this to hit the seafloor, I think…" He sounded so...defeated and upset. This is the opposite of what Hat Kid wanted to do for him!

"Well, you— _kshhhh—_ get to— _kshhhhh_ —ifeboat, pu— _kshhhh_ —it'd be—" The line kept cutting to static until it shorted out before the message could finish.

"Wait! Captain, no!" She then gasped, seeing the icy water begin to flood the room. She had to get out. And fast! She knows how to swim, but she can't stay in water for too long. For one thing, it was as cold as ice. Secondly, she wouldn't be able to stay afloat for long. She still hasn't passed her Float test.

Jumping onto reachable areas along the wall, she headed down to the Reception Room. She could see a few Moon Penguins, helping each other try to get across. Hat Kid tried to follow to the exit, but an explosion went off to the side.

She yelped, tumbling back on the pile of large suitcases she was standing on. Too close to hitting the water. She then gasped, realizing something. The Time Pieces. The ones she got. They're all in her room!

It was a risky move on her end, but she began making her way back to her room, dodging holes that would burst through the walls. She dove through the balcony door into her room. Grabbing her suitcase, she quickly dashed back out as the water slowly continued to rise.

She spotted a few Express Owls screaming and hopping to the exit she spotted earlier. Hat Kid tried to follow, but a suitcase pile was knocked down by the sudden weight from her. She screamed as she fell into the icy water.

She clutched her suitcase as she surfaced, gasping for air. It was cold. _So cold_. She needed to get out and now. She frantically looked back to the exit. She was close. She needed to swim to it. She quickly began kicking with all her strength as ice began to form around her clothes.

It was getting colder by the second. Hat Kid's breathing was becoming ragged and short. It was getting harder to swim and her grip on the suitcase was slipping. She kept pushing herself to hang on.

She reached out for the rim of the exit with a desperate hand. But in doing so, her other hand slipped off the suitcase that kept her afloat, having her go under. She tried to swim up, but her legs refused to move. It was too cold.

She kept holding her breath, trying to desperately reach for the exit with her arms alone...but she felt still. She felt so cold. Her focus was getting hazy as her eyes began to close. So cold...so tired. Maybe...she can just stop for one second. Just stop to regain her strength.

She saw the exit slowly seem to get further away. Everything felt numb now. Was it even cold anymore?

"KID!" Two purple arms then quickly reached down and plucked Hat Kid out of the water. She gasped and coughed for air, shivering badly. She looked up at the one that saved her.

"Sn-Sn-Sna-atch-cher…?" Her voice sounded hoarse and shaky. He quickly put her close to his chest, holding her close. He felt...so warm. Warm and fluffy. She whimpered as she tried to lean more against him.

"You gotta stay with me, kid." Did he sound worried? She thought he never cared about her. Not like this at least.

Normally Snatcher wouldn't allow Hat Kid to be this close in contact with him, but the kid almost drowned and froze to death. He's not letting her die like this. He'll never admit he was worried about her...but he will admit that he wasn't going to let her die.

Not this kid.

Keeping her close and as warm as he can, he quickly flew out of the Reception Room exit that Hat Kid was reaching for. He then quickly looked around for another exit. Luckily, he spotted a large hole. A way out!

"Just hang in there, kiddo. I gotcha." Hat Kid's shivering began to slow as the ice forming on her body began to thaw. Thankfully, no frostbite. She was dangerously close though. The tips of her fingers at least were red.

She continued holding onto Snatcher as he did the same for her. As she looked around at the damage she caused, she then gasped. She spotted one of the seals on a dining room table, whimpering and pacing. They didn't seem to know what to do.

She jolted upright, surprising Snatcher. "We need to go back!"

"What?! Kid, do you have a deathwish? You almost drowned and died!"

"There are others that need our help!" She pointed to the baby seal behind them.

"Not my problem, kid. The ship's sinking and getting you out is my main concern right now."

Hat Kid looked up, now surprised at the statement. She managed a tiny smirk as she said, "I thought you didn't care."

Snatcher blinked and looked to the side with a scowl. "I-I don't! I just...don't want you to die here like this. If you are going to die, it's going to be by my own talons." He held up a threatening hand, showing his talons, to prove his point.

Hat Kid wasn't convinced that was entirely true though. But that was not the problem! "If you're not going to help, then I will! It's my fault they're in trouble anyway!" She tried to wiggle out of Snatcher's grip, but he held her fast.

"Kid, you're going to freeze to death before you save one seal."

"Then help me! ...Please…" She then looked up at him, desperate. She already failed before in saving her old home planet. She wasn't going to fail these endangered people now.

He looked to the side. No, he will not give in to the kid's pleading look. Not if it puts her at risk and makes him do things he doesn't want to.

But then he felt her aura turn sad and saw her eyes began to form tears. He groaned, knowing he was going to regret this.

He then placed her on his back, having her hold onto the tuffs of his neck hair...fur...whatever this was. "You don't get off unless I say you can, got it?"

Hat Kid nodded in understanding with an appreciative smile. Soon, they were off. Hat Kid guided Snatcher with her top hat as she focused on the people in need of rescuing.

With Snatcher's help, they managed to grab a couple baby seals and a couple of the Conductor's grandkids. The Conductor's grandchildren were terrified with what was happening, but spotting Hat Kid safe with Snatcher convinced them they were going to be okay.

Snatcher flew out of the hole they were heading to not long ago and set the seals and babies down onto a nearby lifeboat.

Hat Kid spoke up, looking down to the Express Owl with the oars. "Get these guys to safety. We'll keep looking." The Express Owl nodded and began to row away from the sinking ship.

"There's still more?" Snatcher's annoyed statement only made Hat Kid firmly pat his head.

"We need to make sure all baby seals and the Conductor's grandkids are accounted for." The tone in her voice made her sound like a real captain. A serious, determined one.

Snatcher sighed and went to another part of the boat, entering through another hole. As they began looking, Hat Kid looked up and gasped.

"Snatcher, watch out!" He glanced up and gasped as well, quickly dodging the falling icicles. He also grabbed Hat Kid off his back and held her close, using himself as a shield in case he gets hit.

Hat Kid was surprised by the gesture. He was being so...protective of her. Does he really care that much? She couldn't help but let a small warm smile show at the thought. Seems her BFF is showing his true colors.

Once past the falling icicles, he looked down at the kid and quickly placed her on his back once more. "As I said: don't want you dying from something that isn't me." She still smiled, patting his head.

He huffed. "Does your stinking hat sense anyone nearby yet?"

Hat Kid let out a tiny giggle and patted her top hat. "Baby seal, dead ahead."

They managed to grab one of the fish bellmen and another baby seal crew member. Once they got to the lifeboats to set them down, Hat Kid gasped when she spotted the Mafia Boss jar. He was teetering on the edge of a pillar high above the icy water. She could faintly hear him shouting, but she couldn't understand what he was saying. Perhaps cries for help.

She quickly jumped off Snatcher's back and began climbing the smaller icebergs up to the Mafia Boss. Snatcher jolted, turning around and seeing the kid dash to the rescue. "Kid!" Can't she for once follow simple instructions?

She reached the Mafia Boss and quickly picked him up, trying to keep her balance. He yelped as he was picked up.

"It's about time, you lazy brutes!" His eyes then turn to look at Hat Kid, who waved to him while balancing him on one hand with ease.

"YOU?! Why must you vex me so?"

"I'm just trying to save you. You're welcome, by the way." She smirked as she jumped down. "Snatcher, catch me!"

Snatcher was flying up after her when he heard her shout her command. His eyes widened as he opened his arms and caught Hat Kid and the Mafia Boss in a jar.

"Thank you!"

"Kiddo, I swear, when we get out of this and you come to my forest again…" He grumbled under his breath, clearly done with her shenanigans, as he hovered back down to the lifeboat. Hat Kid hopped down and set the Mafia Boss down.

She then looked around. All of the Conductor's kids were here, but…

"Where's the Conductor?"

One of the Express Owls spoke up. "Soon as the ship started sinking, he said he had to go look for his grandkids. He might still be inside!"

Hat Kid gasped. The Conductor was now in danger too! The water was still rising and the ship was getting dangerously close to going under. She looked up to Snatcher.

He sighed and lowered himself down to her. "No need to say anything, kiddo." She smiled and hopped on his back. Snatcher rolled his eyes. He can't believe he's actually doing all this for the victims he was suppose to scare and/or steal souls from.

Hat Kid quickly used her top hat. "He's in the daycare area. That should be here!" She pointed to the window area. Snatcher looked over to the hole he entered earlier. Half of it was filled with icy water. No way to get through there now.

"Hang on, kiddo. I'm making my own entrance!" He held a hand up, palm facing the window. Purple shadow magic swirled around his hand, then shot a beam of magic at the window. It bursted open, making a large hole where his palm was facing.

A yelp was heard to the left side of the blast. "Where the peck are they?!"

"That's the Conductor," Hat Kid shouted. Snatcher frowned at the foul language the old crone used, but flew through his new entryway. Hat Kid and Snatcher immediately spotted the Conductor on the edge of the dome window, just a couple feet away from the hole Snatcher made. His feathers had ice on the tips of them as he looked up to them, shivering.

"Lassie! It's you!"

Hat Kid smiled brightly. "Conductor, your grandkids are fine! C'mon, we'll get you to safety!" She reached out for him on Snatcher's back. The Conductor reached out, but hesitantly recoiled, looking to Snatcher.

Snatcher sighed and reached an arm out for him. "C'mon, old man. We haven't got all day!" The Conductor scowled a little at Snatcher for calling him 'old man.'

But, nonetheless, took his hand. Snatcher pulled him onto his back, right next to Hat Kid. She hugged him, glad he was safe. He sheepishly patted her back and tousled her hair. "Thanks, lassie. And er...yer too, lad."

Snatcher didn't respond as he flew them back to the lifeboat. Seems everyone was now accounted for. Except for the Captain.

Just before Hat Kid could question where he was, she heard the intercom from the ship speak. It was the Captain.

"Don't wait up for me, pup. Get in a boat and scram. This is my dang ship and I'll go down with it."

Everyone looked at each other, shocked and worried. Was he really just going to throw his life away like this?

Hat Kid looked up to Snatcher, recalling her talk with him back in the Cargo area.

" _Be there for him or show him there are others that can help him through his problem._ "

She then looked back ahead at the boat. With a determined huff, she tucked her top hat down and jumped off the lifeboat, hopping ice platform after ice platform to get back to the sinking ship. Everyone gasped and called out for her.

"Kid, no! The ship's gonna sink!"

"Don't, miss! You'll get fwozen!"

"Lass, wait! You wanna save _him_?"

"Dammit, kiddo! Get back here!" Snatcher flew after her. If he wasn't already dead, this kid was going to be the cause of death for him.

One of the Express Owls look up to the Conductor, concerned. "Sh-shouldn't we go help her, boss?"

"The ghost is already helping. And I'm not gonna have us hang around a sinking ship! If they don't make it back quick, we'll leave without them." Why did that feel wrong when he said that? He looked back to his grandchildren, who were huddling close by him, peeping with worry. He picked two of them up and pressed his forehead against theirs.

"The lass will be fine. She's faced worse than this."

Snatcher finally caught up to the kid before she jumped right back into the ship through the first giant hole. He picked her up with a scowl. "What part of 'you'll die if you go alone' do you not understand?"

She kicked the air as she looked up at Snatcher, worried. "I can't leave him to sink, Snatcher! I won't let him go down with the ship when there are people that care about him!"

Snatcher stared at the kid for a solid moment and sighed. There's no way to talk her down. He didn't want the old coot to die either. Not this pathetically. "That's why I'm saying you shouldn't go _alone_." He placed her on his back once again.

She blinked, but smiled a little, appreciating the fact that Snatcher's still willing to help. She frowned though, looking at the rising water. The ship was getting more submerged by the second. "What if we don't make it in time?"

Snatcher began flying in and around, looking for the Captain. "I'm sure we will, kiddo. Then it'll be all sunshine and rainbows or whatever you think is good and happy." Hat Kid smiled, letting a tiny giggle escape. Snatcher smirked, a little pleased with the reaction. It was already sickening sensing the Captain's depressing aura; he didn't need the kid's sorrow added to that mix.

They continued searching around the boat until Hat Kid shouted, "Down there!" She pointed down to the flooded laundry room, seeing the Captain on an icy platform. Snatcher swooped down and picked up the Captain with both arms. He almost wheezed in doing so. He was about as heavy as he expected him to be.

"Hey! Put me down!"

"O' captain, my captain! Not on my watch!" The Captain looked up, seeing the pup on the large ghost's back. "C'mon, Snatcher! Let's get moving!"

He nodded and flew back the way they came. Snatcher struggled a bit due to the extra weight and the fact the Captain was trying to escape his grasp.

Meanwhile, the Conductor tapped his foot, getting more worried. "Where's the lass? The ship is sinking, we gotta get out of here!"

He huffed and then shouted, "C'mon! Get over here, lassie! We're leaving now!"

One of the Express Owls looked up to the Conductor and asked, "D-do you want me to start rowing, sir?"

The Conductor fidgeted with his winged-hands a bit and ordered, "Take us a bit further away, but make sure we're still close enough for the lass to get to us." The owl nodded and did as he was told.

Meanwhile, the exit for the three of them was already submerged. There was not much time left. Snatcher growled.

"Screw it! I'm making us an exit!" He pointed the palm of his hand up and warmed up his magic. He shot the ceiling above them, giving them a new exit. He immediately flew up and to where the lifeboat was earlier.

As soon as they were close, they stopped. Snatcher's eyes were wide when he didn't see the lifeboat around. Hat Kid looked around. Surely they didn't leave, right?

Snatcher's own aura began showing malice and anger as he felt his magic build up a bit. "They _left_ us. After all we did, they–"

"Wait, Snatcher! Over there!" Snatcher stopped and looked to where Hat Kid was pointing. The lifeboats! A few of the saved passengers waved to them from afar.

Snatcher exhaled with relief and flew over, practically dropping the Captain onto the lifeboat. He then collapsed on the lifeboat himself, having Hat Kid hop off his back.

"Kiddo, if I ever think of trying to help you do something like that again, make me blue and smack me." Hat Kid giggled a little, but nodded, patting his head.

"You did great. Thanks, Snatcher." He waved a dismissive hand, but showed a tiny smile of appreciation.

The Captain sighed as he looked to Hat Kid and Snatcher. "Pup, why wouldn't you just let me go down with my ship? I can't drown, but I can at least pretend for a bit."

Snatcher's expression went bitter and angry. He was about to speak up and give this walrus a piece of his mind, telling him how pathetic he was letting his emotions get to him like this.

But Hat Kid beat him to it. "No! You deserve to live on, captain code or not! I know you lost someone really close and you feel really sad about that...but you don't have to face that alone!"

The Captain blinked at the pup's sudden outburst. "How do you…?"

Hat Kid didn't even answer his question as she continued, "You've got people here that care about you. _Count_ on you. Myself, included. You may not think you are needed, but _we_ do. Don't throw your life away just because you already lost someone. There's always going to be someone that's going to be there for you…"

She didn't even realize her eyes were welling up with tears until she wiped them away with her sleeve. She looked up at Snatcher, who was looking down at the kid with a surprisingly concerned expression. She showed a small warm smile. That's right...he's one of those people that have been there for her.

Snatcher, on the other hand, was now processing this. The kid...she had some strong statements going. As if she's...experienced that before. He'll have to ask her about that later. As of now, he turned his attention to the Captain.

"Yeah, the kid's right. If she thinks you're worth saving, then you are." The Captain then looked at everyone. They all showed concerned expressions, especially his crew. One of the baby seal members nudged against him with a small whimper, worried for their captain.

The Captain quietly patted the seal's head with a sigh and looked to Hat Kid. "You're...probably right. Besides...the crew might not be able to get the lifeboats to shore without me. ...Thanks, pup."

The other passengers then turned to Hat Kid, thanking her as well.

"Thank woo, miss!"

"Yeah, thanks dudette! I totally didn't see this coming."

"Aye, thank ye, lassie. The little ones haven't learned to swim yet. And I would've frozen me feathers off if ye haven't found me."

Hat Kid smiled warmly, glad she was able to fix this large mistake she made. She also looked up to Snatcher. "Thanks again for helping me too, Snatcher."

He sighed and sat up. "It's nothing, kid."

The Captain then looked to Snatcher and narrowed his eyes. "Come to think of it...I don't remember seeing you on the boarding list. Snatcher, was it?"

Snatcher blinked and looked to the side, beginning to sweat nervously. "Uh...well, see...the thing is...I just remembered that I left the sink on!" He then flew off, flying straight to the sky, leaving the baffled captain and startled passengers behind.

Hat Kid giggled though, knowing he was going to do that. She ran to the edge of the lifeboat and waved while shouting, "BYE, BFF!"

She faintly heard him shout, "NOT YOUR FRIEND, KID!" She giggled. She's certain that they both know that's a lie after today.

The Captain looked back to where the ship sunk and sighed. "Hopefully our insurance covers this. But anyways, pup." Hat Kid looked back to the Captain and saluted, giving her his attention. He actually smirked a little.

"I can't exactly give out refunds, but I did find this shiny thing that was in the iceberg over there. Funny how our ship crashed right next to it." He then held out a Time Piece to Hat Kid, who happily took it...while also nervously chuckling on that last statement. Yeah, funny coincidence.

She then realized something while holding onto the new Time Piece. All the others she collected! The suitcase! Oh no, it could still be in the ship, which is now sitting at the bottom of the sea now. She groaned at the thought, but then sighed. Well, at least they'll be out of reach from anyone else. Saves the trouble in keeping them locked in her safe so they won't fall into evil clutches. She didn't really need the fuel nowadays anyhow.

"Oh, before I forget." She then pulled out the hat she made for him at the start. The Captain gasped, looking it over.

"...Where did you…?"

"I made it. ...I uh...heard about what happened to your really close captain friend and thought it'd be a nice gift to cheer you up. That way it's like a piece of him is sailing alongside with you."

The Captain stared long at the captain's hat. It really did look just like his mentor's captain hat. His flipper traced the fabric. He began to sniffle.

"Captwain? Awe woo cwying?" His crew began to gather around him, looking worried. The Captain quickly wiped away the tears.

"No...just got some salt water in my eyes, that's all." He then looked up to Hat Kid, who was smiling warmly and saluting. He managed a smile back as he put on the hat she made for him and saluted back. "Thanks, pup."

Hat Kid's smile grew. Despite all that's happened, she would call this mission a complete success. Not the relaxing vacation she wanted, but another great adventure to remember.

* * *

Meanwhile, as the seals, owls and penguins all tried to help in getting back to shore, a figure appeared around the corner of the iceberg where the Time Piece was. Behind them was a smaller spaceship, smoking and slightly broken. It was wooden and space-resistant, much like Hat Kid's, but no bigger than half the size of the iceberg they crashed on. It really only had the control panel, captain seat, fuel monitor, and bathroom. A spaceship built for short trips.

The figure looked to the lifeboats, seeing all the strange creatures row themselves home. Hat Kid was even helping, giving directions and shouting "stroke" repeatedly.

The figure gasped, seeing Hat Kid, as their violet eyes widened with shock.

"Hattie…?"

 **THE END?**

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What a way to end it, huh? It is not the complete end, however. Of course, there are more adventures to be had with Hat Kid, especially with the new DLC coming this Friday! As for the extra snippets and adventures that will come, that will be in the other fic I have built for it: Hat Kid's Adventures. For now though, hope you enjoyed! :)


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